


Coffee Shop Flirting

by androgynousclintbarton



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4483796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/androgynousclintbarton/pseuds/androgynousclintbarton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melinda doesn't always put up with people flirting with her boyfriend, usually she breaks their noses. But a certain Blond coffee maker is just to adorable to hurt when he does it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flirting helps pass the time

Writing another name on what felt like the hundredth receipt that morning Clint smiled as he handed the cup over to Natasha and watched as she made quick work of the soy hot chocolate “maybe one day I should give you a raise” he smirked playfully as he leaned against the counter for a moment, glad that the lunch hour rush had died down.

“You should have given me a raise months ago when I started having to deal with your piss poor excuse for flirting” She corrected him as she filled the cup with soy milk and added the whip cream “Soy hot chocolate for Nick!”

“if I gave you a raise you would start acting like a manager when I’m gone and we both know you don’t want that” he stuck his tongue out as the bell over the door rang when it was pushed open.

“I thought she was the owner” Clint pouted over at Nick as the other man Smirked behind his regular sunglasses and Natasha smirked over at him.

“Next time you’re paying for your hot chocolate” he warned “It’s Called Hawkeye’s, not Black Widows. Who would want to get a drink from a place named after a deadly spider?”

“Most likely anyone who doesn’t want that deadly spider to murder them in their sleep” A thick gruff voice said from beside Clint, forcing a smile onto his face as Nick rolled his eyes and Natasha leaned against the counter and smirked. “Though, to be fair. I think Natasha is more of an Angel than a Black Widow spider”

“that’s because you only see her at work” Clint Smirked over at where Phil and Melinda were standing side by side, making his heart drop a little at the sight. “Natasha is really scary if you upset her”

“piece of advice” Nick smirked behind his specialized Hawkeye mug that Natasha had painted a red hour glass onto (why he ever let her make mugs for special customers he still wondered, but they all seemed to like them well enough) “don’t upset her”

“I don’t think you’ve met this kid” Melinda propped herself up against Phil’s shoulder “he upsets most people just by existing”

“But they love me anyways” he smiled as he punched in their order and let Phil swipe his credit card “or at least, you guys all like me enough to keep coming back and talking to me”

“I’m pretty sure it’s for the coffee” Melinda smirked

“I agree with her, definitely for the drinks” Nick agreed.

“I don’t know….the face is pretty easy on the eyes” Clint smiled over at Phil when he spoke up over his two friends “so, what do you have for me today?”

“Oh, I think I can come up with something super awesome for that” he smiled, picking the pen up off the counter and pressed it against his mouth as he thought for a moment, looking up at the ceiling while Natasha made Melinda’s usual coffee with one sugar and three creams.

“You know I could always make you a cup of your own” Natasha pointed out while she handed Melinda her coffee mug with a black eagle symbol on it and Chinese writing that said her name. Clint was pretty sure Melinda was still teaching Natasha Chinese ever chance they got, because like the smarty pants that she was Natasha loved to learn every language that she possibly could.

“If I let you do that I would be expected to bring it in” He smirked with that look in his eyes that always made Clint melt.

“How dare you suggest he stop getting cups that Clint can write cheesy pick-up lines on” Clint was pretty sure that Melinda couldn’t roll her eyes any harder than she had, but then of course he would never say such a thing for fear of her proving him wrong.

Putting the finishing touches on the cup he smiled as he handed it over to Natasha and watched her make quick work of the dark black coffee “How do you drink that swill?” Melinda asked

“With lots of practice”

“You’re disgusting” she accused, watching as he picked up the cup and turned it to face him “Are you ever going to stop flirting with my boyfriend Barton?”

“Maybe when I get one of my own”

“You had one of your own….”

“Who lasted 2 months? Not long enough to count” He said as a smile spread across Phil’s lips “what do you think?”

“Cheesiest one yet” He smiled, turning the cup towards Nick and Melinda and waiting a moment before they started to laugh.

“They’re getting worse by the day” Melinda laughed softly “and in a good way”

“If your eyes sparkled any brighter you could put the sun to shame?” Nick laughed as he gripped Phil’s shoulders to stay standing “Barton you have a gift for cheesy lines”

"i'm honestly surprised Melinda hasn't murdered you yet" Phil smiled softly "last person who tried to flirt with me ended up with a bloody nose" Clint slapped a hand over his nose quickly and looked over at Melinda with wide eyes.

"She was being handsy" Melinda corrected her boyfriend "He is being adorable. There is a huge difference, so he gets to keep his nose intact"

“I'll take that as a compliment and thank you for not damaging me in any way, shape or form as of yet” he smiled “Now go, enjoy your coffee before you have to go back to being bad ass FBI people” he smiled, waving them off as Natasha stood beside him.

“You’re hopeless” she accused once they were out of ear shot

“I know”


	2. Plotting over coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Phil needs to be reminded how awesome his girlfriend is.

Sitting in their usual corner of the coffee shop Melinda watched as Phil finished his coffee and pulled out his swiss army knife, smirking as she watched him carefully carve into the cup, making a jagged edge as he cut out the cheesy line. “Am I going to have to get you a box for all of these?” she asked playfully.  
“Might be better than me stuffing them into a drawer” Nick laughed at the sound of that as he held his own cup. “Besides you like reading them too. Don’t lie”  
“I guess you need to get your cheesy romance somewhere” she smirked from behind her cup “if you didn’t you might die and wither away from your lack of love and appreciation”  
Cutting off the last edge Phil smiled as he held the small portion of his coffee cup in his hand and reread the line “I get my steamy sexy romance from you, but that cheesiness is just necessary some days” he explained “However, I would not die and wither away without it. You provide me with enough love and appreciation, just in different ways”  
With a smile Phil held the small bit of crappy cardboard out to Melinda and watched as she rolled her eyes before taking it and tucking it away into her wallet like always “Why don’t you two just get it out of your systems with a date or something?”  
“Because I am in a very committed relationship with a wonderful women who I love more than anything in this world” He looked up at her with soft eyes and a kind smile “And I would never cheat on her”  
“I didn’t say you’d be going on this date without me”  
“Sounds like something I don’t want to hear about” Nick smiled, pushing himself to his feet and putting a hand on Phil’s shoulder. Squeezing it gently he smiled “good luck”   
“Ya, you go ahead and ditch” Phil laughed as his best friend walked away “Tell Maria we’ll be back soon sometimes between making out with her”  
“I’ll make sure to let her know you said that” he called back before the front door closed behind him and Phil shook his head.  
“I am not going to get in her way if she decides to kill you”  
“I would never expect you to protect me from my own stupidity” he smiled softly, reaching out and laying his hand on the table with his palm faced upwards, only closing it when she put her hand in his. “Mel, we don’t need to add anything to our relationship”  
“I don’t know, he’s pretty cute”  
“And he is 9 years younger than me”  
“9 years is nothing” she said dismissively “when you hit 10 or over that’s a little weird, but still workable in an adult relationship”  
“Why are you doing this?” he laughed softly “I thought they were just cute pickup lines”  
“That make you smile in a way that rivals the smile you give me when we’re alone” she smiled “and as cold as everyone seems to think I am, I enjoy seeing your smile. If I can see it even more I will call that a bonus”  
“How would we even make that work?”  
“With a lot of effort, patience and understanding” He smiled softly as they both looked back over to where Clint and Natasha were cleaning and chatting like usual “it’s worth a shot”  
“I just about shit myself asking you out, how am I supposed to survive asking him out to a dinner with both of us?”  
“Oh, I’ll take care of that” He glared over at her, afraid of what was on her mind “don’t worry, I’ll be nice”  
“For some reason, I doubt that applies to you being nice to my ego”  
“Never” she laughed, causing the two workers to look over at them in the middle of Natasha stealing a towel from Clint’s back pocket.


	3. Daydreams and hopeless thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Clint lets his mind wonder when he's in the cafe alone

"Go” Clint laughed, pushing Natasha out the door that night “I’ll take care of closing up, you go to that party you were talking about”  
“Why do I tell you anything again?”  
“Because I’m your boss and Best friend?” He smiled “Now go woo the cute girl with all that Natasha style charm”   
Throwing her hands up in the air Natasha muttered something under her breath in Russian before heading towards her bicycle while Clint went back inside. “Music time” he smiled, heading to the back of the shop and turning on his music before he started to work on closing up.  
“Now” he stepped back out into the café and smiled as he looked around “let’s get this place clean” he grabbed the nearby broom and started to sweep the floor as his thoughts started to drift  
Looking around at the candle lit dinner and the people around him finding their own seats Clint smiled to himself as he watched the waiter walk over with their order.  
“See, this is nice isn’t it” Phil’s voice rang in his ear like an angel while Mel organized her forks and knives properly “I told you it would be nice”  
“You always say that, and last time we ended up in a dive” she pointed out “I’ll start believing you more when you get it right more often”  
“at least he got it right this time” Clint smiled, looking back at them both and taking in Phil’s regular sharp suit and the sparkling silver dress that Mel was wearing “I just hope you remembered flats this time”  
“I will never have a repeat of the Paris dinner” she said with a groan as their food was placed in front of them as some Champaign was poured for Mel and Phil while Clint held his root beer. “to Phil finally getting the right kind of place for once”  
“I’ll drink to that” Clint laughed while Phil rolled his eyes and they all held up their glasses.  
Clint grunted as he hit the ground after colliding into one of the tables while he was daydreaming “damn it” he sighed, pushing himself up slowly “work Clint, focus on work before daydreams” he gathered himself back to his feet and put the table back in place before looking around.  
“Doesn’t matter anyways” he whispered to himself “they wouldn’t want a child trapped in a man’s body. No one wants that” he sighed before continuing to sweep, focusing his thoughts on the next day instead of hopeless dreams


	4. uncomfortable situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flirting customers is a usual part of Clint's day, but sometimes they get a little over board and very rude.

With a soft groan Clint wrote down another name on a cup and handed it over to Natasha while Sam took the next customers order “sorry I had to call you in” he said for the millionth time in the last hour.  
“Relax” Sam smiled “if I actually took offence to it I would say so. I was just hanging out with Steve anyways” He punched in the customer’s order while speaking, making sure to add the shot of Soy. “Besides, it’s no surprise your place is doing well. Starbucks actually charges people for Soy drinks”  
“Which is insane” Clint agreed with a soft laugh as the front door opened again “people have intolerances and allergies to Milk and they have to pay more for that? For shame Starbucks”  
“Exactly” Clint smiled as he watched Natasha hand off the latest drink while he went into the display case and put one of his home made cakes on a plate for the same customer, glad the line was starting to die down slowly.   
“Now if only you could build more than one location and hire more people”  
“Except I’m pretty sure you and Sam love working your asses off for me” he smiled, sticking his tongue out playfully at her while she rolled her eyes and started the next cup.  
“anyone with a brain would love working their asses off for you” Clint jumped a little, looking at the customer in front of Sam now with a long black and green jacket, wavy brunette hair and a smirk that could make anyone shit themselves. “That is of course, if they could take their eyes off your ass”  
“I…uh…thank you?” He said with a raised eye brow, doing his best not to run off into the back room as his heart pounded in his chest and Natasha turned her full attention in his direction, ready to cut in if she needed to.  
“What, you can’t take a compliment?” the women let her eyes roam over his body “too bad, because that body is deserving of every praise in the book”  
“ok, what can I get for you ma’am” Sam tried to interrupt, only to be ignored as the women leaned against the counter and pretended to glance at the menu.  
“Hmmm, I don’t see any cute guys listed. Do I have to order that on the side?” Clint flinched as he looked over at Natasha helplessly, not knowing what to say himself as he tried to occupy himself with organizing the cups, even though they were already in perfect order thanks to Sam.  
“Alright, I think that’s enough” Natasha said “if you’re not going to order anything that’s actually on the menu ma’am than please leave. We have other customers to serve”  
“What, can’t take a little flirting with my coffee order?” The women glared at Natasha before huffing “fine, large black coffee please”  
“Gladly” Sam smiled brightly as he punched in the order and took the five that the lady offered him, making change quickly and handing it off to her while Natasha filled a large cup of coffee.  
“Hello there” Sam said happily when Melinda walked into the building “didn’t bring your tag a long’s today?”  
“They are nose deep in work. I’m just here to pick up drinks to go” She explained as she handed him her and Nicks cups and handed him a 20 “sorry, no time for flirting today”  
“No problem” Clint smiled, not noticing the other women glaring at Melinda as he grabbed a cup for Phil “hope you guys aren’t too busy”  
“Just a few hundred piles of paper work to fill out before the end of the month” she said with a roll of her eyes “that’s what happens when the end of the year comes around”  
Laughing Clint felt his shoulders relax as he grabbed a pen off of the counter and thought for a moment while Natasha handed the other lady her drink before grabbing Melinda’s cup while Sam filled out Nick’s usual order. Figuring out the perfect line he smiled to himself as he started to write on the cup, adding a twirl to the end of his newest pick up line before he started to make’s Phil’s drink.  
“You guys are our saviors” Melinda smiled as she took the drinks one by one and put them in a carrier “We owe you so much one of these days”  
“I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to pay us back” Clint smiled “I think Sam would love a sit down with Nick to talk about his future career on the force”  
“Hey! I thought we were keeping that between us!” Sam protested  
“I’ll see what I can do” Melinda smirked “see you later handsome”  
“Any time beautiful” He watched as she headed towards the door, dodging the other women on her way out as Clint grabbed a rag and started to clean the counter.  
“It seem’s like another hot man has fallen ill to yellow fever” she sighed when Melinda was out of ear shot, and Clint felt his shoulders stiffen again while Natasha and Sam’s head’s shot up.  
“Excuse me?” Natasha demanded with a growl in her voice “out, get out” she demanded as she walked out from behind the counter  
“Let go of me!” Clint cringed when the women screamed, covering his hearing aids as the noise range through the entire building and everything stopped. “Do not touch me” she demanded angrily “or next time I’ll call the police”  
“Please do” Natasha hissed “because they’ll send the nearest officer, and I’m sure she would love to hear the racist crap that just came out of your mouth” Seeing the women narrow her eyes at Natasha Clint readied himself to jump over the counter and stop a fight, noticing Sam doing the same thing from the corner of his eyes.  
“This place is a dump anyways” she huffed, dropping her coffee to the floor and ignoring it as the cup broke open and covered the hard wood in black liquid “Starbucks is worth the extra money” Clint winced as he watched her turn around and head for the door, opening it angrily and heading outside as Natasha growled.  
“Tasha don’t worry about it…” He whispered, grabbing a cloth off of the counter and making his way around to the front of the store “she’s not worth the time”  
“I don’t like when people insult my friends or make them uncomfortable” she growled angrily, snatching the cloth from Clint before he could protest and bending down to clean up the mess “You get one of these creeps every week”  
“and each of them either ends up leaving or just gives up flirting with me” he pointed out “The only other one this bad called Nick and Sam the N word, and he hit the curb so fast I’m pretty sure his head is still spinning”  
“Lesson, never be a racist piece of shit in this place” Natasha huffed as she grabbed the dropped cup and stood up “I still want to call Melinda back on her”  
“I would rather not deal with Angry Mel” Clint smiled softly “She’s a lot less scary, and a lot prettier, when she doesn’t have a look of murder on her face”  
“I guess” she smirked, looking up at him “Fine, I’ll go do my job I guess”  
“Thank you Tasha” He smiled, putting a soft hand on her shoulder as she moved to walk past him “for everything.”  
“Anytime” she nodded, putting a hand over his and squeezing gently before heading back behind the counter.


	5. working days

“Special delivery!” Melinda called, walking into the conference room where Phil, Nick, Maria and Jasper were surrounded by boxes of case files from the past year.

“Oh thank the precious lord of coffee” Nick groaned, putting the current file he was working on down and reaching out for his cup.

"i don't know if Clint has accepted that title from you officially yet" Phil smirked from behind his work

"well he should because it is appropriate and adorable" Nick said as he stuck his tongue out in Phil's direction

“Do you guys still go to that place?” Jasper asked as he sipped his Starbucks coffee “it’s so far away”

“But the coffee at this place is a lot better” Phil smiled, taking his coffee from Melinda and kissing her when she bend down to his level “and it comes with a cute owner”

Lifting an eye brow Maria smirked as she held her own cup of coffee “now now Phillip, Melinda doesn’t like it when you flirt” she pointed out.

“Ya remember that newbie a few months ago who tried to ask you out to coffee?” Jasper laughed as he picked up another file "i'm pretty sure the poor girl is still in therapy because of May"

“This one’s different” Melinda smirked “He even has a collection of really bad pick-up lines the guy writes on his coffee cup every day”

“Aww the boss is flirting back” Laying his head against the file Jasper closed his eyes while he laughed “I wish I heard these pick-up lines. That sounds a lot more interesting than old case files”

“Maybe if you gave up on your overpriced coffee and joined us for the good stuff one day” Phil lifted up the current file he was working on and started to read again while he drank the sweet black liquid in his cup.

“Oh come on” Nick protested “I have been looking forward to that pick-up line all day to make this crap a little more interesting. You are not allowed to hold out on me”  
“Sir Yes Sir” Phil laughed, lifting his cup up a bit and smiling as he read the line on his cup “The day always looks brighter when I see your face, but seeing her face has become equally as exciting and wonderful”

“Oh god” Nick groaned “he’s evolving to smut”

“I guess after so many cheesy pick=up lines he had to evolve at some point” Melinda smirked as she sat down again and raised an eye brow when Maria, Jasper and Nick looked over at her “what?”

“He’s talking about you” Maria pointed out.

“What are you talking about? He flirts with Phil, Not me”

“No, dear” Phil smiled, holding the cup out to him “’The day looks bright when I see your face’ is about me. ‘ seeing her face has become equally as exciting and wonderful’ is about you because you’re the only female in our group”

Narrowing her eyes Melinda read the words to herself quietly, not noticing her eyes slowly getting wider as she started to realize what everyone was talking about 

“He has evolved to smut and having a crush on both of you” Nick corrected himself while Melinda’s face slowly started to go red “aww, look Phil. Someone managed to make your partner blush.”

“I didn’t know it was possible to have that colour on her skin” Maria laughed “I’ve only seen happy, angry, upset and annoyed Melinda”

“Ya, embarrassed Melinda is something new entirely” Jasper smiled

“Tomorrow” Melinda forced the word out of her mouth harshly as she tried to recover herself. Looking over at her boyfriend she watched as he raised an eye brow in confusion “tomorrow if you don’t ask that blond, cheesy bastard out, I will”

“Yes Ma’am” he laughed, leaning over and kissing her cheek

“Alright alright. Time to get back to work” Nick protested as Maria and Jasper laughed “before we get in shit with the big bosses”

“Sounds like a plan” Phil agreed, opening his file again and smiling as he watched Melinda from the corner of her eyes slowly recovering herself before she reached into the box of files for the next one. Tomorrow was bound to be a good day, so long as they finished all of the file work today.


	6. good days turned bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (sorry this took so long. i tried typing it up on my iphone and then my phone rebooted and i lost everything so i had to start all over again)

"So are we really doing this?" Phil asked while Melinda concentrated on finding a parking space "today? Before work?"

"Would you prefer to wait till after work and then have to push the date even later if he says yes?"

"You're assuming he says yes" he pointed out as she manoeuvred Lola into a small looking parking space "carful! I don't want one of these people scratching her"

"Some days I wonder if you love your car more than me" Melinda said with a side eye glare at him "but then I remember that I'm real and breathing and can make you scream in bed"

"I did not scream"

"You so did" she smirked, pulling Lola up almost to the building and putting her in park "now come on, let's go get coffee and a date"

"You still seem super confident that we'll get that date" he repeated as they hoped out of Lola through the back instead of risking trying to open the doors.

"I don't know about you, but I'm gorgeous"

"Good point" he conceded, laughing when she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door.

"Wrong way" they both looked up and Smiled when they saw Pepper walking towards them "the line up there is out the door"

"Oh..." A frown made its way onto Melinda's face as she tried to think of what to do next.

"Come on, I'll show you the super secret, friends only way" The red head smiled brightly, walking between them and grabbing their arms when they finally relented and broke apart "you'll love it" 

Letting Pepper lead them towards the back Phil frowned as he looked behind their friend and over at his girlfriend, noting the same look of confusion on her face before he spoke "Pepper, shouldn't we wait in the line up?"

"Don't be silly. If I waited in the line up every day I'd get less peace and quiet away from work" This time Melinda looked back at Phil from behind Pepper an raised an eye brow as they were pulled to a stop in front of the back door to the building. "Like I said, you'll love it, just trust me" she said as she knocked on the door and waited for a moment before it swung open.

"Brining extra friends now pepper?" Sam smiled when he saw the three of them standing there "I don't know..."

"Oh please, of all people I think Clint will love these two in the back the most"

"The problem is he might die from an overload of really gorgeous people" his eyes sparkled at he spoke, and an even bigger smile threatened to crack across his face.

"Well if that becomes a risk we'll have to kick Melinda out. Getting rid of 3/4ths of the hotness should calm him down"

"I agree with this statement" Phil smiled brightly when Melinda turned around to glare at him "what? I can't help the fact that you're smoking hot"

"Suck up" she said with a roll of her eyes, following Sam into the back of the building and feeling the breath leave her lungs when she saw the inside.

"This is....a lot nicer than I pictured" Phil admitted 

"Clint made it just for special guests" they followed Sam over to a nicely set table with a bowl of chocolates and a vase of fake flowers on top of a purple table cloth "well, he made it for pepper really, but the guest list has grown"

"Yea, sorry about that" pepper laughed while she brushed her hair out of her face "I want some company once in a while and you guys are sometimes busy"

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it" 

"Sam!" Clint's voice cut through the air like a knife in butter "Sam! We're dying here man, come back to the light side!"

"Sorry boss, darth vader send in the troops to collect the months protection tax!" Sam called back before looking at the others "sit, talk. I'll be back after the rush with drinks" he promised before heading back into the front of the store.

"This store is full of dorks" Melinda smirked, picking up a chocolate and examining it before popping it into her mouth.

"If it wasn't Nick and you wouldn't love it so much" she thought for a moment before agreeing with Phil's statement.

"Besides, it's stock full of cute people" Pepper smirked "especially Clint, Natasha and Sam"

"I'm sure Darcy and Skye would love to hear you say that" pepper shrugged her shoulders at the thought

"Skye has Jemma to worship the ground she walks on" she rebuttals "and Darcy is too busy fawning over Jane and her amazing scientific discoveries"

"She has a point" Melinda reached over and flicked Phil in the ear playfully, smirking when he recoiled back and glared at her from the other side of the table. "Some day's I wonder how I survive living with you"

"I'm pretty sure the sex and cuddles are a bit factor" Pepper smiled

"Well...you know, sometimes I just need a little more love in my life" 

"Anyways..." She rolled her eyes, jumping to her feet when a loud crash made its way from the front of the store to where they were sitting "What the hell?" She demanded.

"Pepper stay back" Phil ordered, sprinting to his feet and unholstering his side arm at the same time as Melinda. Rushing the the door he raised his gun carefully before kicking the door open and seeing a large man with a hand gun of his own standing beside a broken display case of coffee and mugs, with his gun pointed towards a very calm looking Natasha while Sam stood by the espresso machine with wide eyes and Darcy inched towards her own till where she kept a taser just in case.

"Put the gun Down!" Melinda's voice was cold and hard, and they both levelled their weapons on the guy as he looked over at them with blood shot eyes.

"Wh...what's you Gonna do a...about it..." His voice slurred with each word that came out of his mouth, and the hand that held his gun shook.

Melinda growled as she looked around at all of the people in the store, noticing Clint's missing presence and feeling her chest tighten on fear "last warning, put the gun down or I shoot" she growled angrily, moving further out into the open while Phil made his way slowly around the counter.

"S...screw you c..." He started to slur, raising his gun towards her, only to be cut off by the sound of two guns going off and everyone who was still standing for some reason, hitting the ground. 

"Jerk" Phil's voice broke the silence while the guy's gun hit the ground and his hand bled where Melinda's bullet had hit him "now I have to make a trip to the hospital".

"Now now Phil, be nice to the drunk" Melinda smirked

"Aww but Melinda, he wasn't nice to us" he pretended to protest, making his way around last bit of the counter and stopping in his tracks when he saw Clint curled up into himself among a mess of broken coffee bags and mugs "shit..."

"Cuff the creep" Melinda ordered, walking past Phil and letting her hand brush his shoulder gently "I'll take care of this" seeing Phil nod in agreement she made her way over to Clint's side carefully, ignoring the sound of her boyfriend pulling the other mans arms behind his back and cuffing him "Clint..."

"No..." She raised an eye brow, watching as the younger mans hands shook against his arms "Please no, I'm sorry..."

"Clint, it's ok" kneeling down in front of him slowly she reached out a hand towards his shoulder "it's Mel, you're safe now" She sat there in front of him quietly, watching as he slowly looked up past his arms and registered what was going on around him "let me help you up" his hands shook in hers when she grabbed them, and she led him to his feet slowly as coffee beans and broken ceramic scattered to the floor "that's it, it's ok Clint. Just take a deep breath"

"I..." His eyes darted to the door where Phil was dragging the perp out towards the parking lot.

"He's not going to bother you again" she promised "you're safe, everyone is safe. Just take a deep breath and let it out slowly"

"I'll get the broom" Natasha sighed, retreating into the back while Sam started to clean up the mess and Darcy slowly started to take the customers who hadn't been able to run away.

"F..free drinks" Clint whispered, putting a hand in his hair and closing his eyes "f...for e...everyone. Then c..close up..."

"Got it boss" Darcy confirmed before taking orders while Melinda slowly maneuvered Clint to his feet and towards the back, away from prying eyes.


	7. Surprise

The door to the back of the store snapped shut behind Melinda as she hauled Clint towards the table while pepper watched them walk by her, noting the way he was holding his hands over his ears. "Pepper, can you grab the first aid kit off the wall?" The red head nodded, running past them while Melinda helped Clint sit down.

"Clint, can you lift your head for me?" She frowned when he didn't respond "Clint, I need you to help me here..."

"No..." He whispered for what felt like the hundredth time "no, stop"

"Clint nothing is happening" biting her lip she hissed when he didn't bother to look up at her "Clint..."

"Please stop..."

With a soft sigh she brought her hand up to his head, attempting to alert him more to her presence and get him to look at her. she Pushed his hand away from his ear gently, only to frown when the familiar, sticky feel of blood touched her hand.

"Here" she looked up at pepper, taking the offered first aid kit from her and opening it quickly as Clint's hand returned to his ear, trying to cover the damage.

"Clint no" she said sternly, pulling the hand away again and looking at the damage with a sigh as she cataloged what she had available to her in the first aid kit. "Pepper call an ambulance. This requires more than my basic first aid training"

"I'll have them here asap" her hand reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out the latest stark phone and hitting the emergency dial before the words were leaving her mouth faster than even Melinda could comprehend.

"I need you to talk to me" she said softly, trying to get Clint's attention again "Clint I know this was hard, I know it's terrifying. But I'm here. Let me help"

"No...." Her frown deepened at his insistence "no....please stop"

"Clint i can't do that" she said softly "i need to get you to the hospital and i need you to trust me here"

"Please..." His voice grew weaker "please, no more...."

Reaching forward again she brought a hand up under his chin and tilted his head up, trying her best not to show the heart break when she saw the tears staining his face "Clint.."

"Mel?" His voice cracked as he spoke "Wh...when..."

"Who do you think took down the bad guy for you?" She tried to smile, failing when she saw the confusion on his face "Clint? What's wrong?"

"I..." His hands started to move around his ear,spreading the blood from the bullet wound that had cut into the upper part of his outer ear "no, shit..."

"Clint what's wrong? Talk to me" her voice started to drip with panic as she watched his face go from fear, to panic, into desperation before settling on heart break.

"I can't hear you" he repeated, Making her frown with both confusion and a little bit of annoyance when his voice got too loud, likely trying to make sure she heard him "my hearing aid..."

"Hearing aid?" Pepper gasped behind her as everything clicked into place. The silent panic when he wouldn't look up, the fear in his voice when he couldn't hear her, and even the times when he seemed to miss parts of a conversation or even a whole order on a bad day "since when..."

"Question for another day" she said dismissively as she looked around for a solution before settling on pulling her phone out of her pocket and opening the note pad app.

"Ambulance is on the way" she wrote quickly, showing it to him and waiting for him to process the information before she pulled the phone back and continued to type "do you want me to go with you?" His head nodded frantically before looking around the room, an she smiled when she realized what he was looking for as she started to write again "Phil is taking the creep to the station, everyone up front is fine" she wrote quickly "and Darcy, Natasha and Sam are going to take care of closing up. I'll call in a clean up crew"

"You don't have to" her and pepper winced at the loud volume of his voice, making him recoil back and think for a moment "I...I can..."

"No" she wrote quickly and showed it to him "we'll take care of it, you're going to the hospital to get your ear stitched up" instead of continuing to try and speak to her Clint gave in and nodded "do you want Natasha to meet you at the hospital?" She finished typing before showing him the latest note and watching him shake his head.

"She'll visit later" he said very quietly but also very confidently as the sound of sirens started to fill the air "Phil..."

"I'll drag his ass there if I have to" she promised in text form "for now, let's get you onto an ambulance ride to the hospital"

"I'll call a clean up crew in" Melinda looked back at Pepper in shock "it's the best way I know to get my favorite get away back up as soon as the staff is ok again"

"Keep in contact with Natasha. She's in charge till he's better" pepper nodded in agreement, stepping back as the paramedics came in from the front and rushed towards Clint and Melinda.


	8. Hospital visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if anyone wants to or can correct anything i have done wrong with hearing loss please do. i'd usually ask my husband but he is 1) not deaf and 2) just a medical student so he doesn't have the full knowledge yet

"You don't have to stay" Melinda looked up from her text to Phil and raised an eye brow at Clint's words "I mean...I can take care of myself...kind of..." Thinking for a moment she sent off the text to Phil and switched back over to the notepad on her phone so she could continue typing to Clint.

'I still have to get a statement from you.' His shoulders dropped a bit as he read what she had typed out for him, not moving again while the doctor finished working on his ear 'besides, I'm not leaving you alone after what I just saw you go through. No one deserves to be alone after that'

"It's not like I'll be here long" he shrugged "they usually kick you out once you're done being fixed up"

She pulled back her phone and thought for a moment before continuing to type 'in which case Phil and i will drive you home and have Chinese ordered in?' His face went beat red as his eyes scanned the words on the phone 'problem?'

“y…you do..don’t have to…” his voice got abnormally quiet “I …. Can take …some care of myself”

'That’s not the point' she wrote out efficiently, showing it to him and waiting for him to register the words before she started to type again 'we’re not leaving you alone after this. If you want you can call Natasha or someone else, but if not you’re stuck with us'

“I don’t want to be a burden” her heart broke at the sound of his strangled words, and she smacked his hand away when he tried to scratch at the bandages over his ears.

'You will never be a burden' she typed, handing him the phone just as Phil walked around the corner and into the room without his jacket on.

“What took you so long?” she asked out loud “that should have been an easy drop off”

“it was, until the jack ass puked on me” she bit down on her lip to stop a laugh from being vocalized, watching as he rolled up the sleeves to his dress shirt as Clint finally looked up from the phone and raised an eye brow when he saw Phil’s arms “so, what did I miss?”

“Our favorite store manager got shot” she watched Phil go on high alert at the sound of that “relax, it just scrapped his ear really, but it did take out his hearing aid in the process”

“Hearing aid?”

“That was my reaction to” She smiled, watching Clint as his eyes racked over Phil’s lean figure in the dress shirt and pants “what do you think about Chinese at his place tonight? Make sure he’s alright for a while”

“I think, as always, you come up with the best ideas” Clint bit his lip at the sight of Phil’s smile “but don’t forget we have paintball tomorrow”

“paintball?” they both looked over at Clint with a raised eye brow when he responded in a loud voice “s..sorry…I can read a little when people talk”

“of course you can” Melinda smiled, picking up her phone again and starting to type 'how fast can you get new hearing aids?' she held it out to him and watched as he read

“I have an extra at home” he responded in a more hushed tone this time “but i….”

“Probably going to be hard for him to wear a hearing aid with his ear in the condition it’s in” Phil finished for him when Clint stopped talking "since i'm assuming it was an outer ear hearing aid if it managed to get damaged by a bullet"

“Good point” Melinda thought for a moment before sighing “I’ll see if Mack can come up with a better way to talk to him till then, he’s usually board after the files go into HQ anyways”

“Ya, he really is” Phil’s laughter filled the room, and Melinda felt sorry that Clint couldn’t hear it resonating in his ears “does he only need one hearing aid?”

“I…don’t know…” she typed out the question to Clint and showed her phone to him again.

“oh…ya, no i….” he waved a hand towards his undamaged ear “this is pretty hopeless, i blew it out completely years ago. The other one is just worn down so that it’s harder to hear. I get a few words but they’re mostly like static noise or nothing"

“Just worn down” Melinda said with a roll of her eyes as she started to type again 'you know there’s such thing as a Cochlear Implant? It can act as a sort of replacement for the damaged parts'

“I don’t have the money for that” he laughed once he had read her words “I make do with the one hearing aid, I don’t have that many problems and if I start to mess up Natasha is there to help set me straight. Maybe if I start making some actual money one day”

“You own your own store” Phil protected “he owns that store, right?”

“I’m pretty sure he does”

“And it does well” Melinda typed as Phil protested Clint’s last comment, smiling when Clint read her words yet again

“Ya, it’s my store” he assured them “I used all my savings to get it but I don’t make much off of it. I pay everyone 25 bucks an hour” Phil let out a low whistle at the sound of that “And whatever money I don’t need for food rent and some spending I use to make the store better. I want it to be big one day”

'And you can’t save up money to get a cochlear implant?' He shrugged his shoulders 'you’re hopeless'

“most people say that” he laughed in agreement “anyways, paintball?”

“Well, We do usually have to split up the teams into unfair numbers or have someone sit out” Phil pointed out.

“And I’m sure the rest of the team would love to meet him” Melinda smirked “ya, paintball might be a good idea”

“so, can I join?” The turned to look at him, smiling at the hopeful look on his face

'Yes, you can join' Melinda typed out for him 'But warning, Nick is ruthless'

“I’m sure I can handle it” he smiled brightly “and…uhh…if you guys really want to stick around tonight there’s this really awesome Chinese place by my apartment that we could stop by. They know my order off by heart pretty much and can always add more to it”

“Sounds like a good plan” Phil smiled “I’ll drive”

“Of course you will” Melinda smirked “someone needs to give the poor boy cuddles and he may try to jump you in your current outfit. I don’t need that in the back seat”  
“Ya, because he will be so much better with you” He responded with an eye roll 

“but then I’m not missing out” Phil glared at her at the sound of that, causing Clint to look at both of them in confusion as he sat on the hospital bed waiting to be officially released into his own personal heaven.


	9. Paintball messes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry this took so long to get published. been really busy with school work and trying to get this chapter done)

" you have colour coordinated paintball's?" Clint looked up at the group in front of him in confusion when they presented him with the colour choices.  
  
"Easiest way to see who hit the most people" Nick shrugged "which is me by the way. It's always me"  
  
"Maria beat you last time" Jasper reminded him with a smirk, shrinking a little when Nick levelled him with a glare.  
  
"We don't talk about that. I'm still certain she cheated"  
  
"Yes, because the only way a women could beat you is by cheating" Maria rolled her eyes with a smirk "you were too busy thinking of that hot date and you damn well know it, plus I'm just that good"  
  
Nick huffed and looked over at her "anyways" he said dismissively "new kid can choice his colour first so we know if anyone has to change"  
  
"Is purple taken?" Clint smiled brightly, holding a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at the conversation he was watching in front of him. Feeling Phil tap on his shoulder he smiled brightly as he looked at the older man  
  
"I should have known you'd like purple" his lips moved easily around the words "purple is all yours but Mack doesn't have that app done yet..."  
  
"It's ok. I'm sure you and Mel got used to talking to me last night over Chinese" he smiled brightly "if you need me just make sure I'm facing you. I wouldn't have a coffee shop that did well if I couldn't read lips when I needed to"  
  
"Good point" he smiled "so...teams?" Clint turned his attention to Nick when he brought a hand to his chin and thought for a moment.  
  
"How about....jasper and Phil, Maria and Melinda. And I'll take Clint so you guys have a chance for once"  
  
"Looks like Maria and Melinda are in for a win this time?" Clint raised an eye brow when he turned to Phil after missing what he had said "never mind. Think you can handle teaming up with Nick?"  
  
"Well, at least I won't get distracted ogling his ass" he smirked, causing everyone else to burst out laughing.  
  
"For your information, I have a Damn fine ass" Nick corrected him "now let's get our teams out into position. Same rules as always. Winners are whoever decorated the most people and losers buy dinner tonight"  
  
"Sounds good" Phil grabbed his paint ball gun with the extra yellow paint and smiled as Jasper grabbed his gun and the grey paint. "Try not to cry too much when you see the bill tonight Nick"  
  
"We'll see you at the finish line" Maria smirked, grabbing her gun and the blue paint "that is of course, if you even make it to the end"  
  
"I'm sure they'll try their best" Melinda slung her paintball gun over her shoulder and grabbed the extra red paint ammo "try not to let Clint get his ass too Beaton. I want it in one piece after this is done"  
  
"I don't want to know what you and Phil need it for" Clint blushed as he read the words coming from Nick's mouth, watching him grab the last gun and the green paint "now split up. Game starts in five"  
  
Watching the teams head off into different directions Clint raised an eye brow "so..."  
  
"Try not to die out there" Nick smirked "keep your eyes on me but don't stay too close and we might survive this"  
  
"I'll do my best boss" he smiled, giving Fury a lazy salute before following him into the forest terrain with his paintball gun close and a smirk on his face.  
  


* * *

  
  "I've lost him" Nick's voice came over the radio three minutes into the game, and Phil bit back a laugh "that little bastard is going to get massacred by you jack ass' and there's nothing I can do about it"  
  
"Bravo, you've officially failed as a father figure" Melinda's voice cut through, dripping with sarcasm "you'll know when I find him"  
    
    Thinking for a moment Phil smiled as he grabbed his radio and turned it on, bringing it up to his mouth "don't hurt him too much gorgeous. If you do dinner won't be that much fun"  
  
"No one wants to hear it" Jasper hissed at him, nudging him in the side just before the starting bell went off "time To go"  
  
"First one to find Clint gets to kiss him" Phil could hear the smugness in Melinda's voice.  
  
"You're on" he responded before turning his radio off for silence during the game, blinking when Jasper stood up to move and took a paintball to the chest "oh come on"  
  
"Damn it Nick!" Jasper screamed out into the air, falling back to his ass and glaring out past the bushes.  
  
Reaching forward Phil tried to blink any objects out of his eyes, not believing what he was seeing as he smudged some of the purple pain onto his fingers "This wasn't Nick"  
  
"beginners luck?" Phil was about to respond when he felt a sting on his right shoulder, and he looked back to see another purple smudge "damn..."  
  
    Searching the immediate vicinity Phil frowned when he didn't spot Clint anywhere nearby "that little shit"  
\----------——-———  
Rolling off to the side Melinda brought her gun up and shot back at where Nick had popped out long enough to shoot at her "bold move old man!" She called after him, decorating his chest with a well placed shot.  
  
"Sometimes we have to make a sacrifice" she raised an eye brow at Nick's comment just before a splat of purple sent her stumbling back a few steps "look, I know you and Phil are a little attached"  
  
"He's not yours" Her voice stayed playfully as she spoke, watching Nick throw his arms up in protest   
  
"But he's good. And we already have the whole team work thing down, I've only been shot twice to get him the shot"  
  
"Twice too many times" she huffed as another paintball hit her in the shoulder "oh come on! Don't you have someone else to shoot at!?"  
  
"If you think this is bad, you should see Phil" Maria's laughter carried through the air, And she walked out of the bushes just as the timer went off, covered in an array of grey, green and purple paint balls to match Nick's Red, blue and yellow.   
  
"This could be interesting" she smirked, doing her best not to jump out of her skin when Clint landed beside her and Phil came up behind him and punched him in the shoulder.  
  
"Owe" the blond rubbed his arm, glaring over and Phil and smirking when he saw him covered from shoulder to waist in purple paint with varying splotches of green, yellow and blue  
  
"Next time at least give me a chance to move"  
  
"Find a better hiding spot" he smirked "I was given the impression you guys were good but I think you and Sitwell need some work"  
  
"So says the sniper" Jasper huffed from behind both of them.  
  
"Where did you learn to shoot anyways kid?" Nick asked, walking over and tossing an arm around Clint's shoulders, avoiding the one blotch of blue and yellow on them while the red paint sat on his chest.  
  
"Army" he smiled after reading Nick's lips, raising an eye brow when everyone looked at him funny "what? I've only owned the coffee shop for two years, after I was discharged"  
  
"Let me guess..." He turned his attention to Melinda when Nick tapped his shoulder and pointed to her "discharged because of injury in the field?"  
  
"Ya" he admitted shyly l, rubbing a Han through his hair "was in my perch ready to take a shot when an explosion went off real close. No one knew it was even there or that it was near going off. Blew out my right ear drum because it was so close and damaged the left"  
  
"And you still can't get an implant for your right ear?" She questioned.  
  
"No point in bugging them about it" his shoulders moved up weakly "I'll take care of it in time"  
  
"Till then" everyone looked over at Phil in all of his painted glory "let's change and go get dinner. I guess jazz and I are buying"  
  
"Next time I call partnering up with the sniper" Jasper protested  
  
"No way, he's mine" Nick pulled Clint closer into his side  
  
"I think we get to steal him once in a while, you know, for personal reason's" Melinda's smirk made everyone take a step back and away from her, not wanting to know what was on her mind.  
  
"So..." Clint looked over at Phil and smiled "dinner with everyone tonight"  
  
"That's the plan"  
  
"And dinner just us tomorrow?" He asked, smiling when Phil's face went beat red "I mean, me you and Mel of course. Last night didn't really count as a date"  
  
"Right to the point, I like him" Melinda smirked "it's a date" she watched as Phil's face went an even brighter shade of red while Clint laughed beside him and Nick, thinking about where to take the boys the next day as she walked over to Clint and grabbed his shoulders "And i found him first" she smirked over at Phil before pulling the blond close and pressing their lips together to a chorus of groaned and Phil's sputtering protests, smirking when Clint wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.

   Pulling away from the kiss after a while she smiled when she saw the blissful look on Clint's face "i don't know what kind of bet you two made, but please...do it again sometime" 


End file.
